June 2007

James WestfallIndependentBionic

Vibraphonist James Westfall calls on his classmates from the 2003-2005 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz for this debut recording, a solid program of original works. Westfall’s compositions are declarative and uplifting, with “The Bionic Man” also incorporating elements of rock and hip-hop. Westfall’s style is distinctive but perhaps not yet fully developed, with a heavy slant towards repeated triplets. The band likewise shows its youth at times, but this is more than balanced by the cohesion of two years’ experience as a working unit.